


Twist of Fate - part 1 of 3

by awriterfandf



Series: Sailor Moon - an alternate reality [40]
Category: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Anime & Manga), Girls und Panzer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-13 15:54:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28780824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awriterfandf/pseuds/awriterfandf
Summary: This next story continues the 'Sailor Moon - an alternate reality' series with a crossover between Sailor Moon and Girls und Panzer.Tsukino Usagi and her closest friends find themselves suddenly thrust into a strange new world.This entry occurs a week after the previous story 'Revelations'.Part 1 of 3
Series: Sailor Moon - an alternate reality [40]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095488





	Twist of Fate - part 1 of 3

**Twist of Fate**

. . . . .

**Part 1 of 3**

. . . . .

Usagi and her closest friends find themselves suddenly thrust into a strange new world.

Twist of Fate occurs a week after the previous story 'Revelations'.

. . . . .

**Chapter 1**

"I wonder who could possibly be calling at this early hour on a Sunday morning?" Meiou Setsuna spoke aloud as she arose from what had been a sound sleep. She glanced at her bedside clock. "It's after four a.m." After hurriedly slipping into her robe, she clicked on a light before stepping into the living room of her Tokyo apartment as the nearby telephone continued its strident ringing. Puzzled, she reached for the handset.

"Moshi moshi. Meiou residence."

 _"Setsuna-san!_ I'm so glad you answered!" a relieved young male voice blurted from the receiver. "It's me!"

"Taro-chan" the young woman replied. A concerned frown appeared on her lips. "You sound rather upset. Is there a problem?" In the background, she overheard other male voices talking rapidly amongst themselves and her frown deepened.

"Hai! I'll say there is!" The eighteen-year-old male's voice betrayed a state of near-panic. "The girls! They've gone missing!"

"Oh?"

'Hai! All five of them!" The distraught boy continued in rapid-fire Japanese. "They aren't in Mako-chan's house, or anywhere outside either! We've been looking everywhere for them for the last half-hour!"

"Hmm... Perhaps they've driven somewhere?"

"We checked the driveway first." Taro paused to catch his breath. "All their cars are still parked where they were yesterday! Minako's car, and Ami's, and Rei's! We're all really worried!"

"That _is_ odd. Tell me, is Mamoru with you?"

"He couldn't make it to Nerima this weekend due to pressing work at the university, but Usagi is here. Or she _was_ here! She was sleeping on the downstairs sofa. But she vanished too!"

"And the other boys?" Setsuna pressed.

"All four of us are still here. I woke up feeling thirsty, and my Minako wasn't beside me. So I went downstairs, thinking I'd find her in the kitchen, and noticed Usagi wasn't around either. The other guys came downstairs a few minutes after I did and told me their fiancees are missing too!"

"Did anyone find a note?"

"No, nothing at all. We've been searching everywhere for them. It isn't like my Minako to leave so suddenly without letting me know, so I called to ask you if there was some... uh... Sailor Senshi business going on. We're all really worried about them!"

"Nothing that I'm aware of, Taro-chan." Setsuna thought for a moment. "Please try to remain calm. I'll do some investigating and get back in touch with you as soon as I can."

"Arigato, Setsuna-san! We'll be waiting by the phone. Please find them for us!"

"I'll certainly do my best."

After saying goodbye, she hung up and stood lost in thought for a brief time. 'My Time Gate should reveal the answer... I hope.'

. . . . .

Four hours later...

Ito Yuji squinted into the strong glare of a low, rising sun before wheeling around and yanking open the front door of the old home his beloved Makoto had been willed by her deceased great-aunt. He poked his head inside. "Minna! There's a car coming! Looks like Haruka's Ferrari!"

A stampede of feet promptly ensued as his brother Taro, Urawa Ryo, and Kumada Yuuichirou came to him on the run, bursting from the house just as the yellow sports car pulled to a stop outside. The four teenage males swarmed around the vehicle, scarcely leaving enough room for the car doors to swing open. Tenou Haruka slid out from behind the wheel, with Setsuna following from the passenger seat, holding a small plastic bag.

"Did you find them?" Yuji breathlessly asked the tall, greenish-haired young woman.

The Plutonian Senshi's facial expression was uncharacteristically grim. "Yes and no, Yuji-chan." She gestured toward the front door. "Minna, ohayou. Let's continue discussing the matter inside, shall we?"

. . . . .

With the anxious males seated together on the sofa, and Haruka having settled into a nearby chair, Setsuna addressed the group. "I'll keep this as brief as I can, for there is more work to be done. First and foremost, to ease your concerns, the missing girls appear to be, as near as I can determine, alive and well."

"That's a big relief!' Yuuichirou breathed, his tense shoulders relaxing slightly.

"So... where are they, Setsuna-san?" Ryo asked. "Did they return to Tokyo?"

The young woman shook her head. "They are not in that city, or anywhere else in Japan, Ryo-chan. In fact, they are currently not present anywhere in our dimension."

A chorus of gasps filled the air.

"But... my sweet Minako!" Taro's voice began to break. "Where... how...?"

"The how, I cannot yet answer" Setsuna continued. "The where... requires further explanation." She told the group, "Remember how your lives were recently affected by an intrusion into our world? The unwanted influence of an anime from another dimension, that changed several of the girls' memories and life experiences for a brief time?"

"You're going all cryptic again, Sets old girl" Haruka chuckled, but her attempt at humour failed to mask the blonde's deep concern for her friends.

Setsuna nodded. "Gomen. To be blunt... it has happened again. Only this time in a much more powerful and substantial manner. Powerful enough to transport the minds _and_ physical bodies of your fiancees to a different reality, in an altogether different dimension."

" _Nani?!"_ the boys chorused in stunned shock.

"And _this_ time the transportation does not involve alternate Sailor Senshi, real or pretend, in any way. They have undoubtedly found themselves in a strange new world" she told the astonished teens. "But as before, a real, living, flesh-and-blood world based on an anime. Unfortunately, it is apparently a broadcast from the near future which I was, until several hours ago, totally unfamiliar with. My time gate did however manage to provide me with enough information to give you some idea of what they are likely facing."

"How bad is it?" Taro pressed. "Can they return home to us?"

"That is unknown at this time."

"You mentioned this was an unfamiliar story." Haruka quizzed the girl standing in the center of the living room, "Was your time gate able to transmit any video or audio to you?"

"Indeed it was, Haruka-san" Setsuna nodded.

"So, this world they're trapped in... what's the name of the anime it's based on?"

"It appears to be a series of twelve tv episodes" came the reply, "entitled... 'Girls und Panzer.'"

The boys looked at one another in utter confusion. "I'm familiar with a lot of anime and manga, but I've never heard of that one" Yuuichirou spoke, mystified. "Please... tell us everything you possibly can about it, Setsuna-san. I need to know what my Rei and our friends are dealing with."

Setsuna opened the bag she held and removed a video tape. "Hai. I'll give you what I have."

. . . . .

As the morning sun began to crest a far pale-blue horizon, Aino Minako's eyelids fluttered open in the dim light surrounding her. "Taro-love" she murmured, "I'm waking up now." The sixteen-year-old blonde smiled and softly giggled, while reaching out her hand to caress her young fiancee's chest. "Would you like to- _ouch!"_

But instead of finding her Taro, her knuckles had bumped firmly against a solid wall. "Nani? The wall in our room isn't _that_ close to our bed!" After rapidly sliding her hand around beneath the sheets and finding no trace of her young lover, the girl sprang upright, rubbed her eyes, and peered at the unfamiliar surroundings in confusion. "What's going on here? _This isn't our room_!"

. . . . .

**Chapter 2:**

"Taro! _My Taro-chan!_ Where are you?"

Aino Minako's call to her fiancee was met only with silence, and as the awakening girl's eyes adjusted to the light, she found herself alone in the sleeping area of what appeared to be an extremely tiny apartment. A closet hid the far wall, while near her single bed, a small metal study desk sat with its accompanying chair. Other than a reading lamp, the desk held only the usual collection of what she assumed were school textbooks. A narrow set of drawers filled the remainder of the strange bedroom, and she spotted a low table in the center of the next room just a few meters away.

"What on earth happened here last night? Did Mako-chan somehow remodel my upstairs bedroom while my honey muffin and I were fast asleep? And where's my lover boy hiding? _This is crazy weird!"_

The pretty blonde swung her legs off the bed and paused when she realized she was still nude. "I hope whoever did this left my clothes behind!" she muttered. A hasty search of the mostly-empty drawers yielded panties, a bra and socks which were quickly donned, along with a fresh bow for her hair, but Minako hesitated after opening the closet door. 'There are three school uniforms here but they certainly aren't mine!' she thought with growing alarm. 'They're all white and green. _Oh! I look awful in green!'_

Having no other choice, she swallowed her pride, dressed quickly and strode around the table toward the exit. 'Why are there shoes inside here? They should be downstairs in the hall.' Becoming more disoriented with each passing second, she decided aloud, "I don't care if I wake up the entire house and everyone in it! I'm finding out what's going on this very instant!"

Minako reached for the door and promptly wrenched it open.

" _Nani?!"_

. . . . .

An equally-puzzled Hino Rei faintly overheard Minako's gasp of surprise from next door, as she too was pulling the unfamiliar white and green fuku top over her shoulders. The raven-haired sixteen-year-old repeated Minako's actions, opening her door to spy her friend standing in a long unfamiliar hallway. A string of apartment doors exactly like hers stretched away into the distance on both sides of the hall.

"Rei-chan!" Minako hissed, her blue eyes comically wide. "What happened to Mako-chan's house?"

The miko remained speechless as she took in the surroundings for a few seconds before replying in a whisper, "This isn't Mako-chan's house, obviously. And we aren't in Nerima anymore, Minako-chan. We _can't_ be."

"Then where are we?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Rei hissed back. "Like I told you and Usagi a thousand times, I'm a Shinto miko, not a fortune teller!"

"Can't you do one of those creepy fire readings or something to find out?"

 _"Where?"_ the other girl snapped back. "Do you want me to do it here, in this hallway? I suppose I could set the carpeting on fire and kneel in front of that. Do you think anyone would notice?"

"Be serious, Rei-chan!"

"Fine. I will, but only if you don't ask for _any more ridiculous things!"_

Both girls were startled by another door clicking open at the apartment next to Rei's, but were relieved to see Kino Makoto's pony-tailed head pop out. "I thought I heard familiar voices." She walked over, leaving her door open. "So... anyone know what's going on?"

"No idea, Mako-chan" Minako answered, while Rei silently shook her head. "By the way, that fuku suits you really well."

"Green _is_ my color, Minako-chan" the tall brunette chuckled. "Have the boys turned up yet? Yuji isn't in my room."

"No sign of my Yuuichirou either" Rei added.

"Let's wait for Ami to join us" Makoto suggested. "Maybe she can use her Mercury computer to find out where we are. And where our guys are too."

"Great idea, Mako-chan! I miss my sugar muffin already, so let's speed up the process!" Minako raised her voice. "Ami-chan! Paging Mizuno Ami! _Can you hear me?"_

"Shut up, you idiot!" Rei growled. "You'll wake everyone in the building!"

"Gomen nasai, Rei-chan!" Minako looked at Makoto and put her index finger to her lips. _"Sshhh!"_

_. . . . ._

The girls didn't have to wait long, for scarcely a minute later Ami emerged from her room. The petite blue-haired girl's eyes widened at the sight of the unfamiliar hallway and its multitude of doors, but she kept her composure and hurried over to greet her friends. "Minna, ohayo. Is Usagi with us?"

"With my luck? Probably" Rei muttered.

"Isn't this the craziest thing, Ami-chan?" Minako gestured at their surroundings. "We need you to use your Mercury computer to-"

"I don't have it, Minako-chan. And... I can't find my henshin wand either. Does anyone have theirs?"

Her three friends all shook their heads. "No sign of mine, Ami-chan" Rei added. "I did find a small purse which looks brand new, but there was nothing inside it except for a little cash."

"That isn't surprising, under the current circumstances" Ami softly spoke.

"What do you mean?"

"Did anyone else happen to examine your school textbooks?" the girl genius queried her friends.

"I won't ever touch those things if I don't have to!" Makoto grinned. "Why? What's wrong with the books?"

Ami held out her right hand, displaying a folded paper within. "I discovered a short handwritten note, sandwiched between the first and second book. I'm quite sure each of you has one as well."

"May I see that?" Rei asked. She took the offered note, unfolded it and studied the characters. "Minna, this looks like Usagi's handwriting. But a little neater."

"What does it say, Rei-chan?" Minako pressed, leaning toward the raven-haired girl. _"Tell us now!"_

Rei glared at her over the page, then began reading, keeping her voice low.

_"Ami-chan,_

_Though I am quite pleased with the progress you and the other girls have made thus far, it now appears to me that the Sailor Senshi have been growing soft. Therefore, I have deemed to use my powers to send my younger self, you, and the other girls of my inner court to a time and a place where you will hopefully regain the edge that I fear you are losing. You will be returned home when you have sufficiently improved._

_Signed:_

_Queen Serenity"_

Beneath the signature was a crude drawing of a small bunny head, and under that were the words, _'Good luck'._

Rei looked up from the paper and fumed, " _Sufficiently improved?_ I _do not_ believe this! Usagi-chan, I mean, our _Royal Highness Queen Klutz of the future_ " she scowled, "has the utter _nerve_ to suddenly think we're not good enough? And after everything we've been through together?"

Ami tried to calm the furious miko. "Rei-chan, there must be a good reason for-"

Rei interruped her. "I'll tell you the reason, minna. It's because she's completely baka! That's why! That royal imbecile thinks packing us off to-" she wildly waved her arms in the air, "-Kami-knows-where is somehow going to turn us into... what? _I certainly don't know!"_

At this moment, the fifth door eased open and a very sleepy Tsukino Usagi shuffled out of her room, yawning deeply. "Hi, minna. What's going on with your house, Mako-chan? And where did this new school fuku I'm wearing come from?"

Rei instantly glared daggers at her. _"You're dead!"_ She lunged toward the odango-haired blonde, but her target leapt back inside and slammed the door in her face.

Usagi's voice wailed from behind the door, _"Minna? What did I do now?"_

_. . . . ._

**Chapter 3:**

"Haruka-san, would you mind travelling back to Nerima and renting a television set and videotape player for the day? I'd forgotten that Mako-chan doesn't have one here."

"No problem, Setsuna-san" the blonde nodded. "I'll get the biggest screen I can squeeze into the Ferrari." She hurried outside and drove away.

"Um... I assume that we will all be watching those programs you said you captured?" Ryo shyly asked.

"Hai. But only the first three episodes, Ryo-chan. I did not have sufficient time to prepare more to bring with me." She told the small group of worried young men, "Incidentally, I will be viewing these for the first time, just as you will be. Let's all hope for no... shall we say... unpleasant discoveries."

"So you don't know what the series is about either?" Yuuichirou asked in surprise.

"I have no idea."

Taro suggested, "Shouldn't Mamoru be here for this too, Setsuna-san?"

"Hai. But so far, I have been unable to contact him due to his studies. Rest assured, Taro-chan, I will advise him of the girls' situation and pass along anything useful we may learn just as soon as he can be reached."

. . . . .

Having calmed Rei down, the five girls were now clustered in her apartment, sitting together around the small table. The miko abruptly surprised her friends by apologizing to Usagi.

"Sumimasen, Usagi-chan. I really shouldn't blame the present you for what's happening to us. You honestly had no idea about what your future self had planned."

"Rei-chan!" Usagi beamed at her. "That's very kind of you! Apology accepted."

"But remember, I won't apologize again. So don't go finding reasons to try to make me. Ok?"

"Ok!"

"Now, let's get down to business" the miko said. "Minna, we need a plan to put an end to this little adventure, so here's what I propose. First, we-"

"Hold on a minute! Why is it we have to follow _your_ plan, Rei-chan?" Usagi grumbled. "I'm supposed to be the _real_ leader here."

"Hai, I suppose you are. Then what do _you_ suggest, Usagi-chan? Let's hear it. But if you mention eating or food even once, I'm warning you I'll-"

"Fine!" the blonde muttered. "My plan is... that we listen to your plan instead."

"Usagi-chan, that's the most intelligent thing you've said this year. Now stop wasting everyone's time and listen."

Usagi made a sour face but kept silent.

"As I was trying to say" the raven-haired girl continued, "first, we need to find out exactly where we are. I'm assuming plenty of other people live here, judging from all those doors, but we have to be tactful about this. We need to look for newspapers or city signs instead of just running up to a stranger on the street and blurting out 'where am I?' They'd think we were crazy."

Makoto grinned at her future sister-in-law. "I guess that leaves you out of this part of the plan, Minako-chan. You're already more than half way to _that_ bus stop."

"I'm not crazy, silly! Mako-chan, you're such a kidder!"

"Who said I was kidding?" the brunette shot back, her smile growing wider while Ami hid a giggle behind her hand.

Minako's lips formed a pout. "Mako-chan, I think you really should-"

"May I continue?" Rei interrupted the pair. "Second, there must be school or classes involved because we're all wearing the same style of fuku and each of us has a stack of books on our desk. So we need to find out if and when we're supposed to attend and where the school is. Hopefully we'll all be assigned the same homeroom, but we'll worry about that problem later."

"And we also need to determine what day this is" Ami added. "We can't be sure how much time has passed since we went to sleep last night, or even which time zone we are in. Although I'm reasonably confident we are still in Japan, as my textbooks were written in our native language."

"That's some good news" Rei mused. "At least Future Serenity didn't send us to Africa, or Chile, or to the South Pole." She glared at Usagi. "I was still referring to you, by the way."

"Quiet, Rei-chan! I know you were!"

"And number three, most importantly we need to find out what task we need to accomplish to get out of here and back to our homes and our guys. They must be worried sick about us."

"Perhaps if we pay very close attention when we attend classes, the answer to that question may present itself" Ami suggested.

"You're just itching to go back to school and learn something new, aren't you Ami-chan?" Makoto snickered, causing her shy friend to blush. "Even a different one with a sensei we've never had before. Then again, why should I be surprised?"

"Minna, I believe we may be be learning many new things here" Ami announced. "As I was flipping through the textbooks on my desk earlier, I found a small, relatively thin book that seems oddly out of place. I'm assuming it must be a library reference that somehow became mixed in with my other texts, but..."

"What was it about?" Rei asked.

"That's the really strange thing, Rei-chan. I didn't have time to delve too closely, but it appears to be an instruction manual meant for high school girls like us."

"On what subject, Ami-chan?" Makoto prompted.

"Driving and operating... military tanks. Older models, possibly from the second world war, if my memory is correct."

"That _has_ to be a mixup" the tall brunette chuckled. "Maybe the book covers got stuck together or something."

"Just a minute, I want to check on my set." Acting on a hunch, Rei arose and stepped over to her desk to examine her schoolbooks, turning around moments later with one in her hand. "It seems I have a copy too, Ami-chan."

"Now isn't _that_ strange!" Minako exclaimed.

"Minna, I also noticed something else" the brilliant blue-haired girl continued. "I opened my science book to skim its table of contents, and happened to read the book's publication date."

"It isn't recent?" Rei puzzled.

"Just the opposite, Rei-chan. We were all living in the year 1995. But that particular book on my desk was published in... 2012."

"That means Queen Serenity sent us into the future!" Minako gasped. Her eyes took on an all-too-familiar gleam. "I can't wait to see what the latest fashions look like! Minna, we need to find a shopping center first thing!"

While Makoto uttered a groan at Minako's unending shopping addiction, all Rei could do was slowly shake her head and stare in disbelief at the odango-haired girl sitting across the table from her. "Great. We're in the future. Usagi-chan, you baka, you've done it again."

. . . . .

While Haruka set up the rented television and tape player on the coffee table, Yuji plugged an extension cord into the wall and took a seat on one end of the large sofa. "Minna, I hope this isn't like the last time we watched one of Setsuna-san's tapes from her time gate. That was really rough."

"Hai. I'll never forget it" Taro murmured. His body gave an involuntary shiver as that fateful scene again replayed in his mind, when Queen Beryl's DD Girls eliminated the Sailor Senshi one after the other. Including, to his horror, his beloved Minako. He gave his head a firm shake and crossed his fingers as Setsuna inserted the tape she had brought into the player.

. . . . .

"I'm kinda surprised no one has mentioned something else that's missing from our lives" Makoto observed from her seat at the table. "Our engagement rings."

"Hai, that's right!" Minako blurted, staring at her unadorned ring finger. "I'm so used to wearing mine that I never even thought... Oh! I hope it's somewhere safe!"

"Don't worry, Minako-chan" Ami reassured her. "They're most likely back home, along with our henshin wands and Usagi's brooch."

"We don't have wristwatches either" Rei remarked. "Or even alarm clocks. I'm not even sure what time it is."

"I know _exactly_ what time it is, or at least what time it was just before I left my room" Usagi chimed in. "It was 6:30 a.m."

The miko stared at her. "And would you care to tell us how you know this valuable piece of information, Your Majesty?"

"That's easy! You and the other girls may not have an alarm clock, Rei-chan, but I do. Actually," she added smugly, "I have five."

"You have five alarm clocks." Rei's head slumped forward into her hands. "Usagi-chan, _you have our clocks!"_

"Oh! Hehe! I guess I do, don't I?"

"Unbelievable" the miko muttered. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "Ok. Without making me waste my life guessing what other surprises you're keeping from us, is there anything else you have extras of, that we should know about? Anything at all?"

Usagi slowly rubbed her chin. "No... not really... except maybe... five... bookbags? I saw them in the kitchen when I went looking for-"

"Looking for a snack. Hai, we know" Makoto laughed.

Ami suggested, "Minna, considering how long we've been awake, I think it's time we find the exit from this building and locate our school. Something tells me that it could very well be the key behind us achieving our goals and leaving here."

"Hai, we may as well get started" Rei agreed. "Everyone go to Usagi's room, get a clock and a bookbag, and we'll continue this nightmare outside."

. . . . .

**Chapter 4:**

"Wherever we are, it looks like a really nice town so far" Makoto remarked as the five girls walked along a quiet street. "None of the crowds and noise we have in Tokyo."

"Hai, it does feel quite peaceful and pleasant here" Ami replied as she strolled along beside the brunette. "If it wasn't for the fact that we're now existing in the future, I think this would be a wonderful place to live. Minna, it even reminds me a little of Nerima."

"It does, doesn't it Ami-chan?" Minako spoke from behind the two girls. "And has anyone else noticed the scent in the air? It's so fresh and clean... just like the cool ocean breeze when we were with our boys on that sea cruise on my love boat!"

"I'm surprised you even noticed the ocean breeze, Minako-chan, with you and Taro spending so much time in your cabin" Rei teased her friend. "I wonder if the Orient Venus has ever recovered from five days of you two and your sex-crazed antics. But probably not."

"It's not every day that a girl gets engaged, Rei-chan" Minako answered. "My honey muffin and I were only doing what comes naturally for a girl and boy so deeply in love."

"Hai. Over and over again, every chance you got" the miko said with a smirk, making Minako giggle happily.

Behind her, Usagi began gently massaging her tummy. "Minna, I'm hungry. There's no way I can survive a whole day of classes without eating something soon. I'm going to starve!"

Rei glanced at Usagi over her shoulder. "We can only dream."

"Meanie!"

Makoto suddenly sniffed the air. "That shop coming up on our left looks like it's open, Usagi-chan" she said, pointing ahead. "Smells like a bakery."

"That'll do!" the odango-haired teen decided. "I'm going in!"

Before anyone could protest, Usagi quickened her pace and zoomed past her friends, scurrying out of sight into the store.

"Well, that's one problem solved" Rei grumbled to herself. "For at least ten minutes."

She and the other girls waited outside until Usagi soon emerged clutching a bag of mini donuts. "Anyone want one?"

"Donuts at _this_ hour?" Makoto groaned. "For _breakfast?"_

"Whatever works, Mako-chan! Mmm! They're so delicious!"

They hadn't noticed another girl walk up behind them, dressed in a similar white and green school fuku. As she passed the group, she caught Rei's eye and paused. "Ohayo gosaimasu" she spoke, greeting the new arrivals with a shy but warm smile and a bright, friendly tone.

The young miko and her companions bowed and Rei returned the greeting. "Ohayo gosaimasu." She smiled back, noting that the girl was about the same age as her, with brown hair in a style vaguely similar to Ami's.

The mystery girl paused a moment longer, looking at each of them, then asked, "Ah... please excuse me if this sounds too forward, but would you happen to be the five new transfer students I was told would be joining us today at the Ooarai Girls Academy? I think one of you is called... um... Tsukino... Usagi?"

"Hai! That's my name!" Usagi blurted in surprise. "Konnichiwa... ah..."

The girl bowed again. "I'm Nishizumi Miho."

Usagi's companions introduced themselves to the friendly teen, and Rei said, "I'm so glad we met, Nishizumi-san. We were looking for our new school, but I'm afraid we're kind of lost."

"No problem, Rei-san! I'm on my way there too. It isn't far, you can walk along with me if you like. And please, call me Miho" she added with a warm smile.

'That was a stroke of good luck' Rei thought. "But of course, we would be happy to. Arigatou!"

As they continued on their journey, she asked, 'Miho-san, I'm curious how you knew Usagi's name."

"The president of our Student Council told me last Friday, Rei-san. She already has everyone's completed paperwork, and based on the mandatory elective class you have all chosen, she thought I should know you were joining us."

'Oh... I see" Rei smiled back.

Behind them, Makoto peered questioningly at Ami and whispered, "Paperwork?" to which the equally puzzled teen beside her could only frown and shake her head.

"Minna, you'll enjoy studying at Ooarai" Miho reassured her new friends. "It's a great school, if a little small by some standards. And I'm really happy you picked Sensha-do as your elective. We can always use more help!"

"We're always happy to help, Miho-san!" Minako bubbled, taking an immediate liking to her new friend.

"Would any of you have any previous experience in Sensha-do?" Miho questioned the group.

"Ah... um... to be honest, we're not really familiar with it at all" the blonde with the red bow in her hair admitted. "Is that bad?"

"Not at all, Minako-san! I'll let Anzu know, but I'm sure she has already arranged for you to watch the Sensha-do introductory video they show all the new students. It's a little old, but it will help you discover the benefits of the feminine art. Oh, I should tell you about Kadotani Anzu. She's a third year student at Ooarai, the president of our Student Council and the commander of Turtle team."

Listening intently, Ami's brilliant mind struggled to make the pieces of what she had heard so far fit together, but frustratingly without success. "Miho-san" she asked, "Would you happen to know which class we will be joining?"

"Don't worry about being separated from your friends, Ami-san. They're keeping your group together, in the same class I'm in. Standard class 1, room 2A." She smiled, "It sounds like you all know each other very well."

Rei glanced at Usagi, who was happily powering through the last of her donuts. 'Hai. Maybe a little _too_ well' she muttered under her breath.

. . . . .

At Makoto's country home a few kilometers outside of Nerima, four teenage boys and two girls were sitting together in the living room. They stared intently at the rented television, transfixed by the video playing before their disbelieving eyes. They were part-way through the first episode of 'Girls und Panzer', watching in stunned silence as the student council's animated characters had just commenced playing their school's Sensha-do introductory video.

After watching it, Ito Taro's head swiveled toward Setsuna, his eyes hugely wide. "Tanks? _Tanks_ , Setsuna-san?"

"This is certainly not what I was expecting, Taro-chan" the young woman replied. She reached out and paused the video. "Minna, please bear in mind that what we are witnessing here is taking place in a different dimension from our own. I have repeatedly found in my work as guardian of the Time Gate, that what would appear as incredible or unfathomable to us in _our_ existence, could very well be accepted as a common everyday occurrence in another."

"Hai... but... _Tanks?_ " Taro repeated himself. "It looks kind of dangerous."

"Don't worry, brother" Yuji spoke up. "Just because that stuff is going on where our girls are, it doesn't mean they'll get involved in it."

"Are you sure about that, Yuji-chan?"

"No" the younger Ito boy answered after a long pause. "I'm not." He gave his older sibling a feeble grin before adding, "But we can only hope."

. . . . .

**Chapter 5:**

Usagi and her group followed Miho onto the grounds of Ooarai Joshi Gakuen, with Ami in particular committing as much detail of the academy as she could to memory. "Miho-san, your school is impressively large!" She took note of the large blue and white school crest, prominently displayed at the front of each building.

"Actually, it's smaller than my last school, Ami-san. Just a month or two ago, I was a new student here too." Miho asked, "Which school did you and your friends transfer from?"

The blue-haired girl hesitated, unsure if revealing details about their real lives would cause unforseen problems. She decided it would be impolite to appear too evasive, and replied, 'Um... we attended Juuban High in Tokyo, Miho-san. Except for Rei, who went to a private school."

"They still have land schools in the capital city?" her new friend exclaimed. "I didn't think there were any left! Oh, I see some close friends I'd like you all to meet.'" She waved at two girls walking further ahead. "Saori! Hana! Turn around! I'm behind you!"

The teens spun on their heels and hurried over. "Ohayo, Miho!" Saori greeted her, then both girls bowed to Usagi's group.

"Our new transfer students are here" Miho told her friends. She led the introductions then asked, "Has Yukari turned up yet? She's usually here early.''

"Yukari wanted to stop at the depot on her way to class" Hana explained. "She has a new pair of loading gloves and didn't want to forget them in her locker, so she's leaving them in our Panzer. I tried them on. They're really soft and comfortable!"

"Oh, ok!"

This time it was Usagi's turn to whisper in Ami's ear, "Ami-chan, what in the world is going on? I don't understand a single thing they're talking about."

"I'm unsure as well, Usagi-chan. But I'm beginning to wonder a lot more about that strange book I found."

. . . . .

In their new classroom, the girls from Tokyo hung their bookbags upon the provided hooks attached to their desks, and took their seats. Usagi and Makoto were relieved to find that their group's allocated places were towards the very back of the room. "No sense in us sitting close to the front, Usagi-chan" Makoto joked. "We may accidentally learn too much."

"Can't let that happen, Mako-chan!" Usagi snickered back, producing a small frown of disapproval from Ami who was seated in the row next to them, with Rei and Minako behind her.

Miho hung her bookbag at her desk and walked over, accompanied by yet another unfamiliar face. "Minna, this is Akiyama Yukari."

The petite girl bowed to them fast and deeply. "A pleasure to meet you! Miho told me you're all from Tokyo."

"Hai, we are" Rei replied. "It's great to meet you too, Akiyama-san."

"It's been ages since we docked there" Yukari said. "Do they have any good Sensha-do stores in Tokyo? They must, since it's such a big city."

"Ah... none that I can recall" the miko answered. The raven-haired girl pondered the strange phrase Yukari had used. 'Nani? _Docked there?'_

Miho glanced around the room and sighed, "There's someone else I wanted everyone to meet, but it looks like she slept in again."

"Hai, Mako always does that" Yukari giggled. "She's the fifth member of our Anglerfish team, the brightest student in our school, and a really good driver."

"The best in all our teams" Miho agreed.

At that moment, an overhead speaker crackled to life. "Attention please! Would the following students please report to the gymnasium at once... Tsukino Usagi, Mizuno Ami, Hino Rei, Aino Minako and Kino Makoto. That is all."

The speaker fell silent as the girls stared wonderingly at each other. Miho smiled and told them, "Sounds like your Sensha-do introduction is starting early. Anzu isn't wasting much time today! I'll go along with you and show you how to find the gym, and maybe a few other places where you may need to go."

Now more confused than ever, Usagi and her companions tagged along behind Miho, with Makoto and Minako bringing up the rear.

As they walked down a spotlessly clean corridor, Minako whispered as softly as she could to the tall brunette, "What do you think this Sensha-do thingie is about, Mako-chan?"

Makoto's ponytail swayed when she turned to answer her future sister-in-law. The brunette shrugged. "Beats me. Miho said it was a feminine art, so maybe it's painting or flower arranging or something like that. Or maybe not, because it involves teams. Anyway, I guess we'll find out soon enough."

. . . . .

Setsuna pressed stop on the tape player and sat back in the leather sofa. "Minna, we have reached the end of episode one. If anyone has questions or observations, we can pause a moment to discuss them amongst yourselves. I'm afraid I cannot provide any additional information at present, but we can take solace in the knowledge that the girls are likely not in any immediate danger."

The boys and Haruka all began talking excitedly about the first video. "It's a ship!" Yuuichirou exclaimed. "The entire town and countryside is sitting on top of a gigantic ship!"

"It's a whole lot bigger than the Orient Venus!" Yuji nodded in agreement. "It's a shock for me to realize a thing like that actually exists and is floating around somewhere."

Tenou Haruka chuckled, "With all that military music they're playing, I'm not sure if I'm watching an anime or an army recruiting film."

"That old tank they have looks pretty beat-up" Taro mused. "It probably doesn't even run. Maybe this won't be as dangerous for our girls as I thought it would be."

"Perhaps they don't actually use the tank, Taro-chan" Ryo suggested to the older boy. "They just spend their spare time studying it or tinkering with it."

"Hai, that's possible, Ryo-chan. Let's hope you're right."

"There's only one way to find out." Setsuna restarted the tape player. "I believe it's time we proceed with episode two."

. . . . .

Obeying the Student Council's order, the teens sat together on the gymnasium floor in front of a huge projection screen, with Miho slightly off to one side. "Minna, it's showtime" Makoto quipped. "Anyone have popcorn?"

"Usagi-chan, you're sitting too close to me! Get your stupid elbow out of my ribs!" Rei edged away from the odango-haired blonde.

"No, you take your ribs out of my elbow, grumpy!" Usagi shot back. "I was here first!"

"Baka! If you want grumpy, I'll give you grumpy! Just wait until we-"

A sudden voice from the stage beneath the screen instantly focused the girls' attention forward. "Ahem. _Silence please!"_

_. . . . ._

**Chapter 6:**

Curious to discover if her mounting suspicions were about to be proven correct, Ami listened with rapt attention as one of the Student Council members silenced Usagi and Rei's latest round of bickering. 'All these tank references I've been noticing must mean this school has a military history book club of some type as an elective' she reasoned to herself. 'Somewhat unusual for an all-girls school, but not entirely unheard of.' She sat in the gymnasium beside her friends, fully expecting Sensha-do to be revealed as exactly that. But Mizuno Ami was blissfully unaware that she was about to receive what would become one of the biggest surprises of her life.

The teen that began speaking was tall and thin, with black hair stopping above her shoulders and half-glasses that covered only her right eye. "Ohayo gozaimasu. My name is Kawashima Momo. I'm the public relations director here at Ooarai. Welcome to your new school, and your introduction to the feminine art of Sensha-do. You will now meet the President of the Student Council."

A much shorter girl walked onstage and gave a friendly wave to the clump of new students. "Hi! I'm Kadotani Anzu. Good to see you this morning. Vice-president Koyama Yuzu, that's her over there, will now play the film. Yuzu, please narrate as you usually would."

Momo followed Anzu off the stage and the video began playing.

. . . . .

At Makoto's old house, the young men and women gathered around the television simply could not believe their eyes. "They're actually doing it!" Yuji gasped. "They're driving real tanks!" They watched one of the massive vehicles, crewed by the school's disbanded volleyball team, charge headlong into a tree and Haruka chuckled, "They're certainly trying to, Yuji-chan, but it seems like they need to work on their driving technique a little more."

"Incredible" was all Taro could murmur. "This is... just... incredible."

. . . . .

Five teens sitting in the gymnasium also stared in disbelief as their video progressed, eyes wide and mouths hung open. Yuzu's voice continued its monologue about Sensha-do making every girl who practiced it more polite, graceful, modest and gallant. A few moments later the on-screen tank's cannon fired with a humongous blast that startled Usagi so much she toppled over backwards. The blonde reached out a flailing arm and tightly grabbed onto Rei's top for support.

_"Aahhh! So loud!"_

"Let go of me, you baka!" the miko hissed at her. "You're going to rip my fuku!"

A minute later the video ended and the Student Council members filed back onstage. Anzu spoke, "If you have any further questions about your elective, please direct them to Miho. She's the overall commander of the school team, and just over a week ago she and her crews gave Ooarai a very important victory in the 63rd National High School Sensha-do Tournament! Ok? The introduction is now complete, please return to your classroom. See you later!" She gave Usagi and her friends a jaunty wave as the trio left the stage for the last time.

Miho stood up and walked over, still blushing from the praise the council president had given her. "Minna, I hope you enjoyed the movie. Does anyone have a question?" Hearing nothing but a faint gurgle from the odango-haired blonde girl, she gave her new friends a warm smile. "You're actually very lucky to be joining the Academy this week. A few days ago we found another of the school's abandoned tanks and it's been all fixed up and ready to go. It's a Panzer IV, just like the one my team uses, but it still has the short-barrel gun. I think you'll have a lot of fun with it! And the best part is, now that the championship is over there's less pressure to learn quickly."

"Less... pressure..." Usagi wheezed.

Makoto stunned her friends when she said, "I honestly thought Sensha-do was something completely different, Miho-san, but I have to admit I'm really looking forward to trying this."

"That's the spirit, Makoto-san!" Miho giggled. "How about we all meet up together tomorrow morning at seven a.m. for your first practice? But now we should be getting back to our homeroom. On the way, I'll show you where the cafeteria is."

"Hai... the cafeteria..." Usagi wheezed again.

. . . . .

Lunchtime eventually arrived and the five new students of Ooarai Girls Academy made their way to the school's spacious cafeteria. After purchasing meals they chose a table in one corner for as much privacy as they could find in the busy room.

"Mako-chan! Have you gone crazy?" Usagi exclaimed between bites. "You really want to do this?"

"Sure. Why not?" the tall brunette grinned. "Miho told me the tanks use real live ammunition, but their insides have some kind of special coating so it's supposed to be very safe." She calmly sampled her meal. "Minna, the food here is pretty good."

 _"This is no time to talk about food!"_ Usagi blurted, throwing her chopsticks down. They clattered across the table as the blonde fixed her friend with an intense, almost comical stare _._ " _This is_ _serious!"_

"Ami-chan, that's the _last_ thing I thought I'd _ever_ hear odango-atama say" Rei laughed. "Am I dreaming?"

"Stop calling me that, Rei-chan!" Usagi fumed. "Ami-chan, what are we going to do? I don't know anything at all about tanks! And that really loud boom that the one in the movie made when it fired its gun thing... it scared me half to death!"

"I must confess I'm not exactly well-versed on the subject either, Usagi-chan" her studious friend admitted. "Normally I would have assumed that Sensha-do would be more suitable for boys, but from snippets of conversations I've overheard today, in _this_ dimension it appears to be strictly a girls' thing." Ami took a small nibble from her sandwich and returned her attention to the opened page of a tank operating manual she had brought along.

"You're correct as usual, Ami-chan" Rei added. "I overheard three students talking about boyfriends when I was in the washroom earlier, and one of them said that any guy riding in a tank would look just as silly as if he was wearing a dress."

"This is insane!" Usagi wailed in despair. " _What kind of crazy place did I send myself to?"_

"Usagi-chan, keep your voice down!" Rei scolded her. "Try to act normal for once, ok?"

She scowled at the miko. "Normal? _Here?"_

"Our very own tank... I _so_ want to drive it!" Minako abruptly announced, an all-too-familiar power-crazed gleam filling her shimmering blue eyes.

"Minako-chan, not you too!" Usagi groaned. The distraught blonde snatched up her chopsticks in frustration, stabbed them into her rice and gulped down a mouthful. She muttered, "And I thought my classes at Juuban were hard!"

. . . . .

**Chapter 7:**

"How are those new transfer students in your class working out?" Reizei Mako asked her friend in her usual low, measured tone. "I didn't get the chance to say hello yet." She and Miho were strolling home through thin, wafting ribbons of sea mist after classes had finished for the day.

"They're all nice and very friendly, though maybe a little nervous. Especially the Tsukino girl" Miho replied. "I shouldn't blame them though, because I felt the very same way when I first transferred here." She paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Honestly... I really like them. Somehow, it feels like we'll all soon become very close friends."

"Interesting. Are they experienced in Sensha-do?"

"Complete beginners, Mako. I'm planning on getting them started gradually when our teams meet up for practice first thing tomorrow morning. I'll give them a couple of hours alone with their Panzer to get a feel for it. And after that, I think we'll have them join us on the gunnery range."

Mako glanced at Miho from the corners of her hazel eyes. "Define 'first thing'".

"I was thinking... around seven?"

"Difficult, Miho-san. Very difficult" the driver of the Anglerfish team murmured.

"Would you like us to give you another wake-up call?" Miho suggested. "Or how about we come pick you up again?"

"If you feel the need. But please... do me a favor."

"Sure! Just name it!"

"Tell Yukari to leave the bugle at home this time. It was... annoying."

"Hai!" Miho laughed. "I will."

. . . . .

A little later that evening, Usagi and her friends were crowded around the tiny table in Hino Rei's apartment. Empty containers from a take-out dinner were being stuffed into a garbage bag by Makoto and Rei, while the other girls began preparing their notebooks for their assigned homework.

"It's not bad enough we have to take regular classes just like in our real schools" Usagi grumbled. She tossed her history book on the table where it landed with a muted thump. "But _here_ , in _this_ crazy place, we have to learn about tanks too!" She glared up toward the ceiling. " _Future me, how could you be so cruel?"  
_

Beside her, Minako had her mind not on her homework, but on a handsome far-away boy. She sighed, "Minna, I miss my Taro so much. My bed tonight will feel so cold and empty without him. I wonder what he's doing now?"

"Probably still catching up on some much-needed sleep" Makoto grinned. "Look, we all miss our guys, Minako-chan. You'll just have to deal with it until Queen Serenity sends us home."

"Hai. I know." The blonde turned her attention across the table to Ami, teasing her shy blue-haired friend. "Did you have fun in school today, Ami-chan? It must be tough not having your Ryo sitting beside you at the front of the class and holding hands under your desk like you two always do."

"Ha!" Rei scoffed as she sat down. "If Taro was in your class at Juuban, you'd be sitting in his lap all day, Minako-chan."

"I bet Haruna-sensei would love to see that!" Usagi said with a smirk. "That old bore would give you instant detention... every day of the week!"

"Actually, I found today's lessons to be most informative and enlightening" Ami answered. "And our sensei was very knowledgeable. Minna, I think I'd quite enjoy being enrolled here at Ooarai full-time. But only if my Ryo-kun was with me, of course."

"Really?" Rei asked the girl. "Even knowing that we'll be having our first Sensha-do lesson tomorrow morning?" she pressed.

Ami looked at the miko and frowned. "Um... I'm afraid that part remains to be seen, Rei-chan."

. . . . .

Ninety minutes later, Makoto flipped her textbook closed and sat back. "Minna, I don't know about you, but I've had enough studying for one night. I think I'll go out for a walk. Anyone care to join me?"

The other girls agreed and the teens wandered outside. "Which way, Mako-chan?" Usagi asked. "Oh, I hope we don't get lost!"

"We won't get lost, Usagi-chan" the brunette reassured her. "I've been curious about those long cables that attach to that big tower over there. So..." she pointed, "Let's go that way."

The five teens trooped off with Makoto leading the way. "I was wondering about those cables too, Mako-chan" Ami said. "Perhaps they're part of a powerful radio transmitter of some kind."

"Maybe. We'll know in a few minutes."

Passing various homes and shops, they eventually neared the tower and noticed a railing in the distance. "This town must be located beside the ocean" Rei mused. "That would explain the fresh salty air and mist we've been walking through." But as they reached the rail and looked over it, Ami gasped as a stunning revelation set in. She leaned further over the railing to be sure, turned to her companions and softly spoke, "Minna, we aren't near the ocean. We're _on_ the ocean."

"Nani?" Makoto puzzled. She too looked out at the waves rippling past, then gripped the railing tightly, leaned out as far as she dared and peered straight down.

"Don't fall, Mako-chan" Usagi cautioned her. "It looks like a long way down to the water."

"It is, Usagi-chan." Makoto straightened up and turned to face her friends. "We're on a boat. This entire town is on top of a giant boat."

. . . . .

Early the following morning, Usagi grumbled awake at the sound of her beeping alarm clock, silenced it with a firm slap, and reluctantly crawled out of bed. A few minutes later she straightened her white and green garments, grabbed her bookbag and left her apartment, yawning deeply.

"I was about to knock on your door, Usagi-chan" Rei told her. "We've all been standing here waiting for you and now everyone's nearly late for class."

"Gomen. And stop picking on me, Rei-chan! Isn't it a little early to be acting so miserable?"

"I'm not being miserable, baka! I just don't want us to be tardy on our second day of school, that's all. By the way, Your Royal Highness, where are your shoes?"

Usagi looked down at her stocking-clad feet. "Oops! I guess I forgot to put them on. Hehe!" Ignoring the raven-haired miko's groan of impatience, she hurried back inside and emerged again a few moments later with her brown school loafers now in place. "There! Happy now?"

"No."

"Minna, we're supposed to meet Miho at the long structure with those five rows of wide double doors beside the school" Ami reminded the group. "I assume that's where our Sensha-do classes will be held."

"Lead the way, Ami-chan" Makoto gestured forward. She chuckled, "I still can't believe we're actually at sea."

"Kind of gives real meaning to the sera fuku we're wearing, doesn't it?" Minako giggled.

. . . . .

The five new students of Ooarai Girls Academy eventually reached one end of the building in question and strode around the corner to the side with the large doors. Though the girls each had an inkling of what they might have expected to discover there, what they found still shocked them into stunned silence. As one, Usagi and her friends instantly froze in place at the sight of the massive, lethal-looking vehicle they spied parked outside an opened pair of doors.

Kino Makoto was the first to find her voice. _"Good grief, it's a tank!"_

. . . . .

**Chapter 8:**

"It's so _big!"_ Minako breathed in awe. "It must be so strong and powerful too! Just _looking_ at it makes me feel... _ohhh_ _!"_

Standing next to her, Ami's brilliant mind was churning frantically, struggling to process what her senses now beheld. 'This can't be a _real_ tank!' she thought. 'Surely this must be a nonfunctional example, perhaps for static display purposes, or a museum piece, or... something...' She next noticed the Anglerfish team emblem painted on the side of the turret. 'That peculiar insignia certainly doesn't look like anything I've seen before in old photos!'

But then, Miho and the other three girls Ami had met the previous day appeared in the open arched doorway of the building. They greeted their new Tokyo acquaintences with friendly smiles and waves as they walked over to them in the bright early-morning sunshine, dressed in their regular school fuku.

"Ohayo minna!" Miho welcomed the wide-eyed and still frozen-in-place group. "Isn't it a beautiful day for your first Sensha-do lesson?"

"Uh... hai..." Rei nodded, her voice sounding strangely robotic. "It... certainly... is..."

"Gomen ne. My team has to leave right away" the Anglerfish commander told them. "Mako isn't answering her phone, which means she's sleeping late again. So we're going to drive over to her home and pick her up." She turned to Yukari. "I almost forgot. No bugle this time, ok?"

"Aww" the disappointed girl pouted.

"No problem, Miho-san" the miko said, forcing a smile to form beneath disbelieving indigo eyes.

"Sugoi! In the meantime, actually for the next hour or so, I'd like your group to get started on your own. See how much you can remember from the Panzer instruction manual you received with your other school books, and try things out. Of course, you first need to decide on who will fill each crew position."

Ami found herself getting caught up in the moment. "Miho-san, am I correct in saying there are five such positions in a Panzer IV? A commander, a gunner, a loader, a driver and a radio operator?"

"That's exactly right, Ami-san!" Miho nodded. "So your group will be a perfect fit for it! And later on, you can decide on a name for your team and an emblem for your tank."

"Oh and a color, too!" Saori piped up. "We can have it painted for you overnight by the students in the vehicle club."

"Hai, any color combination you like" Miho agreed. She continued, "The other teams are already out practicing, and mine will join them there after we pick up Mako. You can maybe drive around for a while, get familiar with the different crew stations, and when you're ready to take the next step and fire your gun, just follow those signs with the red arrows on them" she pointed. "They'll lead you straight to us in the practice area."

"Understood" Rei nodded, her mind numb.

"Um... if I may ask" Ami shyly spoke, "Is it normal for new girls to train in Sensha-do without any kind of strict supervision?"

Miho giggled. "We only recently restarted Sensha-do at Ooarai, Ami-san. Nearly everyone here was new to the art, and learned mostly by trial and error. And I noticed how well you did in class yesterday. I don't think you'll have any problems at all!"

Ami blushed at the compliment and she gave Miho a small gracious bow. "Arigatou gozaimasu."

"The freshman Rabbit team made a few errors though" Yukari laughed. "They ran away during our first practice match with St. Gloriana!"

"Yukari! Be nice!" Miho playfully scolded her. She continued, "So don't worry if you make a mistake. Just try your best, experiment, and above all, have fun! You'll find your Panzer waiting for you inside this open parking bay." She gave the girls a bright, encouraging smile. "Minna, see you in the practice area!"

Stunned by the initial sight of the second world war battle tank, and with her head reeling from the influx of friendly advice, Usagi and her fellow transfer students looked on, incredulous, as the four teenage girls casually strolled over and climbed onto the hulking vehicle. They disappeared inside through various hatches, with only Hana's head visible from an opening to the left of the long cannon and Miho standing in the turret.

A few moments later the tank's powerful Maybach V12 engine rumbled to life, expelling a thick cloud of exhaust from the rear of the massive machine. Miho gave a Usagi and her friends a parting wave then faced ahead.

_"Panzer Vor!"_

Hana revved the engine and eased both control sticks forward, and the Panzer smoothly pulled away. Amid the sound of its clattering tracks, it turned onto the main road leading into the center of town and accelerated until it was soon out of sight.

Ami stood motionless for a time, opened her mouth to speak then closed it again, utterly lost for words.

"Minna..." Usagi's voice trembled, "I think we're in _big_ trouble!"

. . . . .

**Chapter 9:**

With the group at Makoto's home taking a short break after watching the second video, Ryo wandered into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. He found Yuji there, holding his cup with both hands and staring blankly out the window.

"You look worried, Yuji-chan."

The other boy slowly nodded. "Hai. I am." He turned to face his close friend. "After seeing that anime, why wouldn't I be, Ryo-chan? Miho and the other characters aren't just driving around in tanks, they're actually shooting at each other! With live ammunition! If our girls are involved in this..."

Ryo placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "You may be right to worry, but I think we shouldn't. At least not too much."

"Why?"

"Our girls are Sailor Senshi, Yuji-chan. They've been in difficult situations before."

"But they aren't Senshi now. We found everyone's henshin wands, still here in the house! They can't become Senshi without them."

"That's true" Ryo nodded. "But they still have all the knowledge and experience they've gained. And even that probably isn't needed anyway." He smiled, "I think there's an excellent chance our girls won't be involved with tanks at all. I'm sure they'll do their very best to stay far away from that dangerous situation."

"Do you really think so, Ryo-chan?"

"It's just a feeling" the boy admitted. He smiled, "But... could you imagine Usagi... in a _tank?"_

Yuji's mood instantly brightened. "Hai" he grinned. "There's no way on earth she'd ever agree to that!"

. . . . .

"You honestly think we're in trouble Usagi-chan?" Makoto asked. "Why? I don't. Well, at least not yet."

"Because those tank things are really big and really loud, and scary too! That's why. And besides, how are we supposed to drive it? I have enough trouble driving Mamo-chan's car!"

"Then leave the driving to me!" Minako insisted. "You can do something else instead, Usagi-chan."

"Oh? Like what?" the nervous blonde asked.

"You can sit outside on the front of the tank and scream at the top of your lungs while we go along" Rei teased. "That's a position you'd probably be perfect for."

"That isn't very nice!"

"Usagi just gave me an idea for our emblem" the miko smirked. "A drawing of a big yellow chicken."

"Shut up, Rei-chan!"

"Minna, we're not getting anything done standing here" Makoto prodded the girls. "Let's go check out our new ride." She strode into the building with the other teens following, and Usagi fearfully bringing up the rear. The Panzer IV inside was parked facing towards the group.

"It looks just like Miho's tank, except the gun or cannon or whatever it's called is a lot shorter" the tall brunette observed. She asked, "So... who wants to be in charge? My vote is for Ami."

" _Me?"_ the blue-haired girl squeaked. "I couldn't possibly, Mako-chan. My vote is we choose you as our commander. You're certainly the most confident among us."

"That's fine with me" Rei agreed.

"Are you sure? Ok, I guess I'll do it" the brunette shrugged. "Minako has her heart set on driving, heaven help us, so that leaves three positions open. Rei-chan?"

"I'll try being the loader" the raven-haired girl offered. "From what I remember from the instruction manual, the gunner position needs someone who can do basic math really quickly, so Ami is the obviously the perfect candidate for that."

"Um... I suppose so" Ami nodded shyly. "Minna, I'll give it my best."

"What about me?" Usagi fretted. "I know I'm afraid of tanks, but I don't want to be left out. The girls on the other teams would make fun of me."

"You're our radio operator, Usagi-chan" Makoto announced. "It's the last position left."

"Oh... ok. I know how to use a radio! What kind of music would everyone like to hear?"

Rei groaned. "It isn't that kind of radio, baka! You use it to talk to the other tanks, take orders from Miho and pass them on to Mako-chan."

"Sounds complicated!" the blonde gasped. "But I'll give it a try."

Makoto clambered effortlessly up onto the big metal machine, peered down into the open turret then gracefully lowered herself inside it. "Minna, climb aboard the same way the other girls got into Miho's tank, and let's get this party started." She dropped further down and her ponytail disappeared from sight.

Minako nodded briskly. "Hai! Let's do this!" She swung open the same left front hatch Hana had used and eased herself into the driver's seat. "Nani? I can see the gas and brake and clutch pedals, but this silly thing doesn't have a steering wheel!"

Ami giggled, "Didn't you read the manual, Minako-chan?"

"Uh... no, not really."

"There are two levers in front of you" Ami instructed her friend. "They control the tracks. If I recall, the basics are that you push them both forward to engage the drive and go straight ahead, and pull them back to disengage. That third lever on your right lets you choose either forward or reverse, and your gear."

"Oh! Got it!"

"I should've asked Ami to drive" the brunette muttered. "We'd probably live a lot longer."

Ami and Rei climbed inside and found their stations, with Usagi reluctantly following the miko through her hatch. "Where do I sit? It smells funny in here."

"Iron and oil" Makoto spoke. "Usagi-chan, you sit below us on the right, next to Minako."

"Ok." She squirmed past Rei, dropped into the lower hull and sat down. "Hi, Minako-chan! Ohh, this chair is hard!"

"You'll survive" the miko seated above her grumbled.

"Is everybody ready?" Makoto asked the girls. "Then for better or worse, here we go. Minako-chan, start the engine."

"How do I..?"

"There should be a button labelled 'start' on the panel to your right" Ami offered. "Try pushing it, Minako-chan."

"Wait... give me a minute... I know it's here somewhere..."

"Good grief!" Makoto groaned. "Our driver is blind."

"I see it now! Pushing the button!"

The starter whined for a moment, then the engine caught and roared to life, filling the tank with its steady thrumming beat. "Whee!" the girl with the red bow in her hair squealed. "It's running!"

Usagi grimaced and cupped her hands over her ears. " _It's_ _awfully_ _loud in here!"_

Minako excitedly pumped the accelerator pedal, racing the engine and producing even more noise. "Minna, I _love_ this already! Listen to all that power!"

"Minako-chan, keep the racket down!" Makoto yelled above the din. "I can't hear myself think!"

"Gomen!" The engine slowed to idle and the four other teens glared evilly at their blonde driver.

"Save the power for when we're actually moving" the tall brunette ordered. "Speaking of which... now, take us outside, nice and slow. Ok?"

"Hai, Commander Kino!" Minako giggled. She shoved the gearshift forward, stepped on the accelerator while releasing the clutch and pushed both control levers ahead. The Panzer jerked twice before clanking slowly out into the morning sunshine.

"Minna, before we go any further I want to test the brakes." The tank lurched to an abrupt halt, catching everyone off-guard and nearly tossing them out of their seats.

"Can't you drive this thing any smoother?" Rei fumed. "I feel like a ball in a pachinko machine!"

"Gomen nasai! I'll try to be more gentle next time we stop, Rei-chan" Minako promised. She started the Panzer moving again and continued on.

Satisfied for the moment, Makoto raised her head and shoulders out of the cupola and looked around. After enjoying the view for a few seconds she dropped back inside. "We're getting kinda close to that fence. Turn left, Minako-chan."

"What did you say, Mako-chan? I didn't hear you clearly."

"I said _left_. Turn _left_."

"How?"

" _How?_ Pull the lever!"

"Which one?"

"I don't know! You're the one driving! _Pull the damned lever now!"_

Ami leaned closer to the blonde. "The left lever, Minako-chan!"

"Oh, I see! Pull left to turn left. Doing it!"

The Panzer changed direction uncomfortably near the fence, pivoting hard around the stopped left track and throwing Makoto against the side of the turret.

"Ow!"

"Gomen!"

Rei reached down and tapped Usagi on the shoulder. "Usagi-chan, I owe you an apology."

"You do? Why is that, Rei-chan?"

"You were right to worry."

. . . . .

**Chapter 10:**

Thirty minutes later...

The Panzer IV trundled its way across the spacious assembly area in front of the Ooarai Girls Academy's tank depot, performing a smooth, almost ballet-quality pivot when it reached the large building. It braked gently to a stop near the open doors of the hangar, with its engine idling smoothly.

"Minna, how was that?" the sixteen year old female at the controls asked her friends. "A lot better, right?"

'"Hai, I'm impressed. It looks like you're finally getting the hang of driving this thing, Minako-chan" Makoto remarked after ducking back inside the turret. "You've improved a lot since we started today."

"And about time too" Rei teased her. "Any more of those jerky turns and sudden stops and we'd all be getting sick."

"I already _am_ sick" Usagi groaned from the radio operator's seat. "Ohh, my poor tummy!"

"Driving a tank isn't really hard at all" Minako boasted. "Not for a highly-skilled girl like me! And now, I can add being a tank driver to the long list of things I'm an expert at!"

"Don't let it go to your head" Makoto cautioned her future sister-in-law. "We've only just started learning this stuff." She thought for a moment. "Ami-chan, is there any way you can practice aiming our gun at something without actually firing it? Minako has had enough fun for a while, now it's your turn."

"Hai!" the blue-haired girl nodded, smiling happily. "I can try aiming it at the crest on one of our school buildings in the distance. Rei-chan, would you please check to ensure our weapon is unloaded?"

"Hai." The raven-haired girl pulled a handle to open the breech, carefully looked inside then closed it again. "We're safe, Ami-chan. The gun is empty."

Ami placed her hand on the control and began traversing the turret towards her pretend target. She leaned forward to peer through the gunner's sight. "Minna, I _never_ thought I'd say this, but I'm quite enjoying our new experience so far."

"You are?" Usagi exclaimed above the whine of the turret's drive motor. "Well I'm not! It's too bumpy, too noisy and it's starting to get hot in here." She reached up and pushed open the hatch above her head to freshen the air.

"Don't be such a crybaby" Rei grumbled. "One of the goals of Sensha-do is to build a strong but feminine character in young ladies like us, and that's one area where you definitely need improvement, Usagi-chan."

"My character is just fine, I'll have you know!"

"Usagi-chan, try using your radio and see if you can contact Miho's tank" Makoto suggested. "Tell her we'll be meeting up with them in a few more minutes to try our hand at target practice."

"I have to work too now?" the odango-haired girl exclaimed. " _Ohh!_ This is just like being in class!"

"We _are_ in class, Usagi-chan" Ami corrected her as she made a last fine, almost delicate adjustment to her aim. "This is our elective, remember?" Satisfied with the result, she pulled the gun's trigger, producing a sharp metallic click.

"Hai. I was having so much fun, I forgot" the blonde muttered sarcastically. "Why did future me sign myself up for this crazy subject in this crazy school-on-a-boat?" Usagi stared at the communications equipment and scowled. "There's an awful lot of switches and knobs and stuff on this radio thing. How could anyone except a genius like Ami understand it all?" She reluctantly donned her headset and began twiddling dials at random, gasping when she suddenly heard two girls talking over the receiver. " _Minna, I can hear voices!"_

"You've probably been hearing voices in your head for years, Usagi-chan" her miko friend joked. "Even without a radio."

"Hush up, Rei-chan! Can't you see I'm trying to study my lessons here?" She keyed the microphone and hesitantly spoke into it. "Uh... konnichiwa... can anyone hear me?" Not getting an immediate reply, she shrugged and continued, "This is Usagi in Mako-chan's tank. We're heading to the practice place to find you, and... we're ready to... um... start shooting."

An unfamiliar girl's voice crackled back over the headphones. "So soon? Such courage! We'll be expecting you, Usagi-san!" Usagi then heard the voice say to someone else, "Minna, prepare to engage in battle! A new challenger approaches!" followed by a chorus of faint laughter in the background before the communication suddenly ceased.

Usagi pulled her headset off. "I told someone we're coming, Mako-chan, but I don't think it was Miho or Saori. They said they'd be waiting for us."

"Arigatou, Usagi-chan" Makoto nodded. "Minna, I think it's time we take it up a notch. Ami-chan, point your gun forward again. Minako-chan, get your head back inside and close your hatch. Close yours too, Usagi-chan."

"But then I have to look through this silly little window to drive, Mako-chan" Minako protested. "I can't see much of anything through it!"

"That's why I asked. I'll watch out for those red arrows Miho mentioned and we'll head to the practice range with you following my directions."

"Thank the Kami!" Rei sighed in relief. "If we let Minako find the way, arrows or no arrows, we'd probably go flying over the side of the ship and end up in a crumpled heap at the bottom of the ocean."

Hearing this, Ami broke into an uncontrollable fit of giggling.

"Well... it's true!" the miko laughed.

"Minako-chan, get this thing moving" the tall brunette ordered. "Let's go give Ami-chan some target practice."

. . . . .

Inside the Anglerfish team's Panzer IV, Saori's voice carried through the intercom into the headphones her commander wore. "Miho, I just heard something strange on the radio. It kinda sounds like the new transfer students' tank is on its way to the training area and they said they're ready to fight. I think the Rabbit team is planning on ambushing them and putting them out of action."

"Hontou ni? They haven't been practicing for even an hour yet" Miho puzzled. Her Panzer IV was at that moment resting near the far opposite end of the training area at the edge of a large grassy field.

Saori spoke again, "Do you want me to tell the first-year girls to back off?"

Miho contemplated her options before deciding, "No... at least not right away. Their M3 Lee isn't an especially powerful tank, and I'm curious to see how our new friends react to a threat. We'll see what develops first, then I'll call off Azusa's team. But let all the other teams know not to engage, ok?"

"Hai!"

Miho quickly activated her throat microphone. "Mako, are you still awake?"

"For the moment, Miho-san" replied the sometimes moody girl with the white headband adorning her long black hair.

"We need to return to the start of the training area as fast as you can safely get us there. I'd like to arrive before a skirmish starts between Rabbit team and the new transfer students' Panzer."

"Hai. Hang on." With the trace of a smile on her lips, Mako firmly pressed the Panzer's accelerator down until it would go no further, digging her proverbial spurs deep into the hot metal flanks of its massive engine. The tank reared up slightly, its muted rumble becoming an angry roar as it sped away.

. . . . .

_Chapter 11:_

"Slow down a little more and turn right at this junction, Minako-chan. That long straight path we'll be on should lead us directly to the training area."

"Hai." The blonde driver obediently worked the track levers and the massive Panzer she controlled angled to Makoto's requested direction. Becoming impatient with what she believed was their far-too-sluggish rate of progress, Minako innocently asked, "Ami-chan, what's the top speed of our tank?"

"Um... I recall reading in the manual that its absolute maximum speed on level ground is forty-two kilometers per hour, Minako-chan.''

"Only forty-two? Hmm... that isn't very fast at all, is it?" The blonde giggled, "I bet I can squeeze fifty out of it!"

"Minako-chan, you're supposed to only drive at the speed that Mako-chan tells you... _Nani? What_ _are you doing?_ " Ami gasped as her friend suddenly accelerated the Panzer hard.

The studious, shy gunner blushed red when she overheard Minako urging the tank to go faster in a surprisingly sultry tone. "Hai, that's it! Give me everything you've got, you big, strong sexy beast!"

"My goodness! _Minako-chan!"_

"Minako-chan, s _low down!_ " Makoto ordered from behind the other teens. But the brunette knew all too well it was too late to reign in Aino Minako's insatiable lust for power.

"I'm _experimenting_ , Mako-chan!" the blonde yelled back. "Just like Miho told us to!"

The other girls all hastily grabbed onto anything they could reach, hanging on for dear life as their Panzer rushed forward.

Rei groaned, "That lead-footed baka is going to kill us all!"

. . . . .

Not far ahead, a dark green M3 Lee medium tank waited in ambush, partially concealed behind thick shrubbery at the end of the trail, its 75mm gun aimed straight across the path.

The tank's main gunner, first year student Yamagou Ayumi, rubbed her hands together with glee. "Minna, this'll be the easiest kill _ever!"_

Seconds later their commander, Sawa Azusa, blurted "I hear them coming! Aim for their track, Ayumi-chan! Prepare to fire!"

" _Hai!"_

With the shell loaded, Ayumi giggled evilly, resting her index finger lightly on the trigger in joyful anticipation.

. . . . .

"Someday I swear I'm going to strangle that girl!" Kino Makoto fumed. Despite Minako's breakneck pace, she forced herself to raise her head out of the jostling turret, fearing a collision with another team's tank. Her eyes widened at the vague outline of a vehicle shaped differently from hers, with its rounded front protruding slightly from some dense bushes to her left. "Nani? What's _that_ thing? Is it a-"

" _Firing!"_ Ayumi yelled a second later, pulling the trigger as their target raced past.

A thunderous blast issued from the bushes and a shell whooshed behind the rear of Makoto's Panzer, missing the back of her speeding tank by centimeters. It cratered the ground behind them with a booming explosion that echoed in the brunette's ears and threw a cloud of dirt high into the air.

" _Ahhh! What was that?_ " Usagi screamed, utterly terrified by the sudden noise.

Confused by the loud commotion behind her, Minako eased up on the accelerator. "Minna, what's going on outside?"

"I think someone's shooting at us!" Rei exclaimed. "But they missed!"

Gripping the rim of the cupola, Makoto caught her breath, spying the Lee suddenly emerge from its hiding place and begin turning towards her.

In the other tank, another shell was hastily loaded. "How did we miss, Ayumi-chan? They were so close!"

"Their tank was going really really fast, Azusa-chan!" Ayumi vowed, "Don't worry, my next shot will take them out for sure!"

Knowing the fight wasn't yet over, Makoto slid down into the turret. "We need to put some distance between us! Minako-chan, why are you slowing down _now?_ For heaven's sake, speed up!"

"Hai! Flooring it again!" Minako replied, happily tramping her right foot back down on the accelerator pedal.

"And start zig-zagging!" her brunette commander quickly added. "They may shoot us, but I'll be damned if I don't make them work for it!"

Her Panzer IV began careening wildly from side to side, while at the radio operator's station, the ghostly pale odango-haired girl sitting there clamped her free hand over her mouth. " _Ohh! I think I'm going to be sick!_ '

"Don't you _dare_ , Usagi-chan!" Rei hissed.

. . . . .

From the crest of a nearby low hill, Miho stood high in the turret of her stopped tank, watching in fascination as the struggle raged on. 'Whoever's driving that Panzer today is pretty good!' she mused.

. . . . .

_Boom!_

Another round hurled from the Lee's 75 millimeter weapon, screaming toward the fleeing Panzer IV. But Minako's wild and unpredictable maneuvering bought her team a little more time, as the second shot whizzed harmlessly past the right side of her tank's hull.

Makoto was determined not to go down without a fight. "Enough of this! Rei-chan! Load our gun!"

"Hai!" The raven-haired miko yanked the breech open, grasped the nearest waiting shell and rammed the heavy munition home with a force that surprised herself. She slammed the handle closed. "Weapon loaded, Mako-chan!"

The tall brunette in charge looked expectantly at her gunner. "It's in your hands now, Ami-chan. Give 'em hell!"

"Hai!" her blue-haired friend nodded. A split-second later, the turret of Makoto's Panzer began to revolve.

. . . . .

Back in the Lee, yet another round was being crammed into their main gun. "They're so unpredictable! But we're _experienced!_ " Azusa groaned, _"Then why_ _is this so hard?_ " She told her driver, "We need to get closer before we fire again, Karina-chan! All these wasted shots are making us look bad!" She poked her head out of her cupola to see how far away her target was and instantly cringed when she realized the Panzer's weapon was now pointing directly back at her. " _No! This isn't happening!"_

With her face pressed snugly against her gunsight's padding, Ami felt her tank begin to weave left and made a quick mental calculation. " _Minako-chan, stop hard now!"_

The sixteen year old girl in the driver's seat promptly stood on the brakes, locking the tracks and bringing the Panzer to a sliding, dusty halt. A final slight nudge of the turret to perfect her aim, and Ami squeezed the trigger.

An indescribable feeling swept over the petite girl genius as her weapon roared, recoiling the gun forcefully back in its mount and rocking the heavy machine as though it were a toy. She kept her eyes on the gunsight, watching her shot burst from the muzzle and flash across the practice grounds while to her right, Usagi screamed again.

" _Ahhh! Are we dead?"_

A heartbeat later, Ami's round impacted the Lee just above its curved front hull armor with an ear-splitting clang.

After a moment of relative silence, she watched a small white flag pop up from the top of the now knocked-out tank.

. . . .

**Chapter 12:**

Lunch time came and went, and the girls returned to their classrooms for the afternoon session after wrapping up their Sensha-do training for the day. After they had finished their final lesson and began filling their bookbags, Miho left her seat beside the wall and strolled over to Usagi and her friends, accompanied by Hana. "Minna, my team and I would like to invite you over to my apartment for dinner tonight." She added with a bright smile, "That is, if you'd like to join us, of course. I wouldn't want to impose."

"We'd love to, Miho-san!" Rei replied, returning the smile. "But... I really should warn you about Usagi. She has, to put it mildly, quite the appetite."

"Nani? I'm not _that_ bad!" the blonde protested. After receiving silent stares from her four companions, she relented, "Well... maybe I am... just a little."

Miho giggled at the odango-haired girl's guilty expression. "Don't worry, Usagi-san. I promise there'll be plenty of food for everyone."

"There _will_ be? Then you can definitely count me in!"

The commander of the Anglerfish team handed Rei a small slip of paper. "My apartment is on the second floor of block 12. Here's my full address, just in case you have problems finding it. Is five-thirty ok?"

"Arigatou, Miho-san. We'll see you then" Rei agreed. As she slipped the paper into her bookbag, a speaker in the ceiling suddenly came to life. "Attention all students! Attention all students! Report to the gymnasium immediately for some important announcements."

"I wonder what they're going to tell us this time?" Hana pondered aloud. "The last time the School Council did something like this was when Ooarai was restarting the Sensha-do program.

"I'm curious too, Hana" Miho said. "Minna, let's go find out what Anzu has in store for us today."

. . . . .

Late that afternoon:

The five teenage girls from another time and place reached the second floor of their host's building at the appointed hour, and Rei rechecked the paper in her hand. "Miho's apartment should be the first one on the right" she spoke. "Hai, there it is. But before we go in, remember to be very careful regarding what we talk about tonight. Try to keep the conversation on safe subjects. And most importantly, don't accidentally say anything about where we're from or who we really are." Her indigo eyes fixed on Usagi with the sternest glare she could muster. "I'm talking mostly to you, Usagi-chan. That careless mouth of yours has gotten us in hot water more times than I can remember."

"I'll be careful" the blonde promised. "Now stop wasting time lecturing me, Rei-chan! I'm hungry!" She strode past the miko and over to the apartment door, stabbing the buzzer twice for good measure.

Miho soon appeared and invited her new friends inside, where they greeted the remaining four Anglerfish team members with polite bows. "I'm sorry it's a little cramped with ten of us in here" Miho apologized, "but as you've noticed, the student living quarters on the Zuikaku aren't exactly spacious!"

Ami immediately made a mental note. 'So _that's_ the name of the ship we're on. Quite interesting!'

"Oh! Minna, look at all those cute teddy bears!" Usagi exclaimed. "But... why are they all bandaged like that?"

"I've been collecting Boko bears for a while, Usagi-san. Having them around helps me cope sometimes, when I'm feeling..." Miho's cheerful smile faded for just a moment, "...you know..."

"I understand, Miho-san" Usagi nodded. "They look so cuddly and soft."

The teens gathered around their dinner table, which Miho had thoughtfully expanded by adding a second table borrowed from her neighbour. Usagi's eyes widened with delight at the collection of neatly-arranged colorful bowls and plates containing various appetizing dishes, and she quickly sat on the floor beside Rei, much to the miko's chagrin. After they had placed their hands together and spoken the traditional " _Itadakimasu!_ ", the girls began their meal.

As she reached for her chopsticks, Makoto remarked "That centerpiece is very beautiful, Miho-san. It looks just like a professional arrangement."

"It actually is, Makoto-san." Miho told the brunette, "Hana made it. Her mother is renowned in the art of ikebana, and she's become very proficient at it as well."

"It's a simply stunning example of jiyuka" Ami agreed.

Hana's cheeks reddened. "You're all being much too nice! It honestly isn't anything special."

"I like it too!" Usagi added. "And I _love_ this yakisoba! So tasty!" She reattacked her delicious dish with extra vigor.

Rei warned her new friends, "Minna, watch out. Here come the flying elbows."

"My elbows don't fly, Rei-chan! You just keep getting in their way!"

"Speaking of flying..." Miho laughed, "I want to compliment each of you again on your performance today. For new students just starting their Sensha-do elective, you girls were great!"

"Arigatou, Miho-san" Makoto humbly replied. She continued, wearing a wry grin, "We got lucky when that first tank attacked us, but... not so lucky ten minutes later."

"Don't feel bad about getting knocked out, Makoto-san" Hana reassured her. "The Hippo team knows the landscape here, and they used it to their advantage when your Panzer became trapped in that narrow gully. Plus, Riko's tank has a very powerful gun."

"I'll say it does!" Usagi blurted. "My ears _still_ hurt from that big bang when they blasted us!"

"Hai" Rei quipped, "And _my_ ears are still ringing from the ridiculously loud scream you made when their shell hit our turret, Usagi-chan. You sounded like a thousand people falling off a cliff all at the same time."

The other girls burst out laughing while Usagi sat silently pouting. She scowled at the miko. "Rei-chan, I don't like you anymore."

"I don't think that's true, Usagi-san" Saori giggled. "I can tell by the way you tease and joke with each other that you're all really close."

"Hai, I can see that too, Saori" Miho agreed. "It's almost like... they've all worked together in some special way for a long time."

Yukari joined in on the conversation. "Ami-san, your gunnery today was great too! You hit the first-year girls' Lee without any practice!"

"It was mostly beginner's luck, Yukari-san" Ami modestly replied, accepting the compliment with a smile. "Arigatou."

"Did you enjoy making your very first kill?" the cheerful brown-haired girl asked.

"Hai" the blue-haired girl admitted. "I really did." Ami began to blush as she remembered the powerful feeling that swept through her petite body when she fired her weapon. "Perhaps even a little... too much."

Mako spoke up, "Minako-san, I've been watching you drive, and the way you pushed that Panzer to its limit..." She gave her new friend a knowing smile. "Fun, isn't it?"

"Hai! _So much fun!_ " the bubbly blonde agreed. "You know, I'm not _nearly_ as accomplished as you are, or any of the other drivers either, but I promise I'll try hard to improve. I love driving a tank!" she enthused. "Even more then the time I drove a friend's Ferrari back in Tokyo!"

"Nani?" Mako leaned forward, a distinct show of emotion from the oft-moody girl. "You drove a Ferrari, Minako-san? What was that like?"

"It was ok, Mako-san. You know, fast and sporty and everything. But what we drive here is _sooo_ much better! I _love_ Sensha-do!"

"It certainly does have its moments of pleasure" the teenage girl wearing a white headband agreed. "When we do find them. But getting there... in particular, the early mornings... they can be challenging."

"Mako has low blood pressure, which makes it hard for her to wake up in the morning" Saori told the new students.

"Really?" Minako prattled on. "Some days I have the same problem! But not because of low blood pressure. It's just so hard to get out of bed and leave my Taro behind."

"Taro?" Saori gasped. "That's a _boy's_ name! Minako-san, you have a _boyfriend?_ I don't mean some kind of casual friend, but a _real... live... boyfriend?"_

"Hai! I really do!" Minako boasted. "All of us do!"

Rei grimaced. 'I _knew_ this was going to happen!' she thought. 'If it isn't Usagi shooting her mouth off, it's Minako. Thank the Kami she at least didn't call Taro her fiancee!'

"Please, tell me all about him!" Saori prodded. "How did you meet? Did he ask you out first? Or did you ask him? How long have-"

"Aren't you getting a little too personal, Saori?" Miho interrupted her. "So many questions!"

"That's ok! I don't mind!" Minako said. "I love talking about my honey muffin!"

"Oh! You even have a cute nickname for him! Minako-san, I'm impressed!"

"Well, I _am_ the resident love expert in our little group, Saori-san!" the blonde giggled, causing Makoto to groan and roll her eyes. "You could even say it's part of my job description!"

. . . . .

**Chapter 13:**

"You really do know a lot about boys and dating, Minako-san?" Saori asked. "Then... would you mind giving me some advice? I wouldn't usually ask for help, but I've been having a little trouble lately with my love life."

Mako smiled at her childhood friend. "In order for one to have problems with their love life, Saori, shouldn't they actually _have_ a love life first?"

"Hai..." the ginger-haired girl sighed. "That's the problem."

"Have no fear, Saori-san!" Minako beamed. "Because this is your lucky day! You are in the presence of none other than _the_ expert on all matters of love and romance, _and_ matchmaker extrordinaire, Aino Minako!"

Makoto glanced at Rei and muttered under her breath, "Here we go again."

"Hush, Mako-chan!" the blonde hissed. She leaned across the table. "Now... tell me about your situation, Saori-san. Is there a particular boy living here on the ship you're interested in?"

"But there _aren't_ any boys" Saori groaned. "None at all!"

" _Nani?"_

Hana briefly explained, "I assume your previous land school was still the old fashioned co-ed kind, with boys and girls taking classes together, Minako-san. But since Ooarai is strictly a girls school, there aren't that many males aboard our ship, and none of an appropriate dating age. When boys who live here grow to reach the junior high grades, they and their families are transferred away to a different boys-only school ship."

Miho murmured, "Which I suppose makes it a problem for all of us."

"That's simply _horrible!"_ Minako gasped. "A crime against nature itself! _Hmmm_..." She pensively tapped her index finger against her lip as she thought. "You're right, this _is_ a big challenge! Maybe even my biggest ever! No matter, let me work my own special magic on it and solve this terrible tragedy for you!"

"And how, may I ask, do you propose to do that, Minako-chan?" Rei smirked. "Are you planning on conjuring some suitable guys out of thin air?"

"Or maybe you could find one of those mythical boy-forests, and go chop some down" Makoto added with a snicker.

"I'll think of something" the bubbly blonde muttered. Her mood suddenly became upbeat again. "Minna, just you wait! Before you know it, wedding bells will be ringing! Hai, I can hear them already!"

" _Wedding bells?_ The only bells _you're_ hearing are from the concussion you probably got when our tank was hit" Makoto grinned at her.

"Ha ha. Very funny, Mako-chan."

"I think I'd like a boyfriend too, Minako-san" Yukari added, her cheeks beginning to flush. "I've never had one before." She smiled brightly, "Someone really sweet and kind, who understands me."

"Don't worry, Yukari-san. When I'm done, there'll be boys aplenty! Cute boys, polite, kind, devoted and loving! Enough for all five of you!" the blonde confidently vowed. "Because I have a secret plan!"

"Looks like you've got your work cut out for you, Minako-chan" Rei laughed. "Good luck with that."

Ami asked, "Minna, didn't one of the announcements during today's assembly mention some kind of... on-shore party, I believe? This Friday evening, after we dock at Yokohama for our weekend exhibition match against another school? Perhaps there will be boys of our age group at that event."

"Hai. The school we're competing against, St. Gloriana, is hosting it" Mako spoke. "Unfortunately, those things are always a complete waste of time, Ami-san. And nothing more."

"Hai" Saori glumly nodded. "Mako and I heard rumors passed down years ago, from students who went to the last shore-party just before Ooarai cancelled Sensha-do. They said there were only a handful of teenage boys in town brave enough to turn up, and even they were all too nervous to actually talk to a girl."

Usagi glanced at a now deeply frowning Minako from the corners of her eyes. "That was your secret plan, wasn't it?" She tittered softly, "Someone's in trouble!"

. . . . .

The next afternoon found the temporarily ex-Sailor Senshi sitting in their Panzer at the Academy's target range, idling one hundred meters away from a row of six square wooden targets. Makoto had hoped that switching things up a little would solve their radio communication problems, and perhaps even provide them with a driver who didn't become a power-crazed maniac every time she sat at the controls.

Rei and Usagi had swapped places after they had arrived at the spot, as had Minako and Ami. The brunette sat silently, a pair of binoculars in hand, watching from behind her crew as Usagi gingerly grasped the breech control handle. "This one, Rei-chan?"

"Hai, that one. Pull it down."

Usagi fumbled with it. "It's kind of stiff! Now it's down. Ok, what next?"

"Now, pick up a shell from that rack on the floor beside you and set it inside the breech, then push it forward into the chamber until it stops." Rei began growing impatient. "This isn't rocket science, Usagi-chan."

"Grumpy!" She lifted a shell into her hands. "Oh! These things are heavy!"

"Please don't drop it" her pony-tailed commander implored.

"I won't, Mako-chan... ok... I'm putting it in the breech thing..."

The miko abruptly blurted, "Wait! The pointy end faces the gun, you baka!"

"Oops!" Usagi reddened. "I _knew_ that, Rei-chan! I'm just getting flustered with everyone watching me so closely!" She flipped the shell around and successfully loaded it into the weapon. "There! Is everyone satisfied?"

"I can see it now" Makoto muttered. "Our tank becomes the first self-kill in the history of the Ooarai Girls Academy." She turned her attention to her new gunner. "Ok, Minako-chan. You're on."

"Hai!" The blonde grabbed the turret control handle and peered through the gunner's scope. "Minna, I see the target! I think the height setting is probably close enough, but we're pointing a little off to one side. Let me fix that."

Makoto felt the turret began to turn slowly to the left, then creep to the right, then quickly back to the left again. "What's wrong, Minako-chan?"

Minako glanced over her shoulder. "Just making sure my first shot is perfect. Just like me!" she added with a giggle.

"Don't take all day."

"Don't always be so serious, Mako-chan. Relax! I've got this!" She fiddled with the control wheel yet again, sending the three teens seated in the turret rocking back and forth one final time. "That's perfect!"

"You won't have nearly this much time when the other teams are after us" Makoto cautioned her. "Ok, go ahead and take the shot."

"Hai! Firing now!"

Usagi squeezed her eyes closed and clamped her palms tightly over her ears as the other blonde pulled the trigger, the gun thundering between them. "I _hate_ that noise!"

Minako sat motionless for a few moments before finally speaking, her voice low and soft. "Ohh! That felt _good!"_ Quickly composing herself, she again looked through the scope and promptly raised her hands in triumph. "Minna! I think I did it! I got a bearseye!"

"I think you meant 'bullseye', Minako-chan" Ami giggled from the driver's seat.

"Let me check that." Makoto raised her head and shoulders out of the cupola and brought the binoculars to her vivid green eyes. " _Nani?"_

She soon dropped back down inside. "Hai. You hit the target close to the center, Minako-chan, just a little low."

"Yay!"

"Too bad it was the wrong target. The one you were _supposed_ to shoot is five meters to the right."

"I did what?" the girl exclaimed, red-faced. "Gomen nasai, Mako-chan!"

. . . . .

Makoto next tried out her new driver, eventually giving up on Usagi's loading debacle after the blonde had gotten the tails of her long hair trapped in the gun's breech for a second time. She expected a much more positive outcome from her shy, studious friend.

"Ami-chan, there's a big open field just to our right. Take us over there, and you can drive our tank around in it for a while. I'm sure it won't take much time for you to get up to speed."

"Hai!"

The brunette soon came to regret her choice of words, as not long after, Minako and Ami were also back at their original stations.

With Makoto high up in the turret and out of earshot, Rei leaned toward the still deeply-blushing blue-haired girl, keeping her voice low. "Ami-chan! What on earth came over you just now?"

"Sumimasen, Rei-chan! When I started driving this powerful Panzer across the field, the feeling inside me when I stepped on the... I simply couldn't resist going... _oh dear!"_ She hung her head in embarrasment. "I just couldn't control myself!"

"You were driving this thing even harder and faster than Minako does, if that's even possible" Rei said. She chuckled, "But on the bright side, you gave Usagi a really good scare, and that's always a win in my book."

. . . . .


End file.
